My name is Alan and I bought my first ‘real’ camera around 15 years ago not really knowing what genre of photography I wanted to pursue, and found myself wandering aimlessly taking pictures of pretty much anything

After reading a few Facebook articles I decided to visit a local nature reserve and was instantly struck the peace and tranquility of being among nature. After visiting the many hides I was totally amazed by the amount of different species of birds, their behaviour and their habitat and learned a lot about the management of the reserve by reading the many posters and notice boards. I was hooked, and so began my wildlife journey

My journey began like most, I was pretty shy and self conscious. There were guys with expensive cameras and very long lenses and I was in awe of what they had. It wasn’t long before I realised that they too didn’t start out with that gear, and you didn’t need to spend a kings ransom to begin the journey. It is all about the enjoyment of being at one with the natural world, meeting new people, and most of all, enjoying the moment and capturing the best you can with the best you can afford.

It was a few years later, and at that very same reserve, I met my dear friend Bob. He pushed me out of my comfort zone, taking photographs of birds in flight, travelling further afield and simply experimenting with settings

I gradually improved on my gear to keep up with the increased demands I was putting on myself and am now comfortable with what I am managing to achieve, without the ridiculous expense

For anyone with a desire to begin a photography journey (irrespective of genre) my best boldest statement would be “photography is subjective”. If you like your photograph, it is a good shot!

adhwildlife@gmail.com